Icky Things Pets Eat

Pets (and children) may find discarded cigarette or cigar butts, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and chewing tobacco and decide to give them a taste test. Especially curious puppies.

All of these tobacco products contain nicotine, which can cause illness and even death in fairly small amounts. This quick tips is to alert people of this danger and a reminder to dispose of these products safely away from pets.

Bright ornamental plants are a great way to dress up the house during the holidays and a dreary winter. Pet owners should be aware, however, that many of these common plants are poisonous to pets.

Toxicity ranges from mild to severe, and the amount of plant consumed determines how sick a pet may become. In general, gastrointestinal upset is the most common finding, but if enough plant material is ingested, seizures, coma or death is possible. Read this Quick Tip to familiarize yourself with holiday poisonous plants.

Acute cases of antifreeze toxicity (when an animal consumes antifreeze) often present as if the animal is intoxicated with alcohol. This is an emergency situation, and life threatening within hours. Please see your veterinarian immediately. Success of treatment depends on quick treatment.

Pet owners can never be too cautious, in my opinion. Last month I wrote about odd and interesting cases; stories that are both interesting and entertaining. Cases like this are fun to learn about, and serve as good warnings about just what animals are capable of!

This FAQ answers a forum post from a viewer who is aware of the dangers of string ingestion, but is wondering when signs will show up if string is still in the gastrointestinal tract.

This FAQ is a companion piece to the "My cat was playing with a string, then ate it. Is this a problem?" FAQ.

Pets are naturally curious, and the "newness" of holiday decorations, gifts, and toys (even those intended for pets) can be enticing to check out or chew up. This Quick Tip is a reminder of items that pose a hazard for a condition known as a linear foreign body.

Many people are aware that certain holiday plants, such as Mistletoe and Holly are poisonous to pets, but what about the most common holiday "plant," the Christmas tree? We worry about pets tipping the tree over or tearing open the presents, but what about those pets who chose to eat the tree?

The number one medical claim for pet poisonings in 2007, according to a VPI survey, did not result from antifreeze ingestion or a chewing on a household plant. No, by far the number one poisoning type was owner-induced, and classified as "drug reactions" (3,455 claims). Most of these drug reaction poisonings were caused by pet owners giving their pets drugs intended for human use, such as over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol or Advil.

Readers share their stories of the icky, surprising and unbelievable things their pets have consumed over the years. While there is a certain "gross factor," there are also good warnings to be found here. Learn just what pets have and will eat to better pet-proof your house and prevent a gastric emergency.

Has your pet eaten something icky? Please share your story with us.

News archive to find information, news and a general timeline of the massive industry-wide pet food recall events in 2007. This pet food recall was unprecedented and involved many pet food companies, large and small. News of this recall was first reported in the Veterinary Medicine blog March 17, 2007.

It has been two years since the pet food recalls of 2007. Pet foods are still being recalled and the methods of public notification by pet food companies are being questioned. In this blog post, with news of three brands of pet food that were recalled in the fall of 2009, I asked viewers for their opinion on the "right to know" for the public if the safety of a pet food is in question. What do you think?

Did your life change because of a pet food recall?
Did you have a pet who ate food later recalled? Did you change your pet's diet because you wanted to avoid problems with recalled foods? Please share your pet food recall experiences and tell us how your pet's diets have changed (or not) because of pet food recalls.